The OTL Investigation on ‘Heads Up’ Football + MORE

Over two years ago I sent an open letter and proposals to the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) regarding hit limits in football. Some took this as a “candy ass” approach and one that was not needed. I disagreed with that assessment, in fact, I felt that what I wrote at the tim.... More »

There was a time in this country when making a HS varsity basketball team was a fairly simple process. That is, hopeful kids tried out for the team under the watchful eyes of the head coach and his staff, in the hope that one would impress enough with one’s skills, size, experience, and speed .... More »

It’s Thanksgiving, one of my favorite days of the year. There’s nothing better than gathering together with loved ones for football, parades, and food. Soon the table will be set, the turkey will be dressed, and everyone will sit down together. In my house, we love to laugh. We th.... More »

Do you know how Memorial Day started and why it is significant? If Memorial Day is nothing more than a long weekend for you and a chance to grill out with friends, take a few minutes and watch this short video on the history of Memorial Day and remember the sacrifices so many have made on you.... More »

As teenagers grow to young adulthood, who are their role models? Who do they emulate? Why?
The most popular article at Roots of Action this past year has been What is a Role Model? Five Qualities that Matter to Teens. Collected from research on highly successfully, civically-engaged young people, it describes their positive role models and the kinds of attributes that most influenced and inspired them to be their best selves…

The greatest difference between our children’s sporting experience and our own is the rise of year round, sport specific organizations that ask – even require – season after season of participation in order to stay in the player development pipeline. The pressure to have your child specialize in a single sport at a young age […

Boston, MA - CoachUp, the nation’s leading private coaching company, is pleased to announce a partnership with the National High School Basketball Coaches Association (NHSBCA).
With a membership of over 52,000 coaches across the country, the NHSBCA is an alliance among the leaders of State Basketball Coaches Associations…

Joe grabbed a coffee, plopped himself down in the chair across from Derek, and threw his hands in the air with a dramatic flourish.
“I’m pulling my hair out here,” he said. “My 12-year old whines and complains about everything. Sometimes I want to take his negative attitude and…”
Words failed him…

It may have slipped some of your reading or viewing, but ESPN’s Outside the Lines did a piece on the USA Football Heads Up Program. The article and video were presented last Sunday morning – I cannot find a YouTube version of the OTL show but you can find that part HERE. The seven minute […]

Congratulations to Will Carroll, who has won a MORE Award in the annual journalism honors bestowed by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons for his article Dr. Frank Jobe, Tommy John and the Surgery That Changed Baseball Forever.
MORE stands for Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence. Winners in various categories the previous two years included Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today, the Detroit Free Press, the Chicago Tribune, CNN…

Some people are born with the odds stacked against them. How they deal with those odds? How can they overcome obstacles and deal with hardships? Do they give up? Give in? Or struggle through it all and make themselves in their own images?
The Wildcats, a team of basketball players, have been asking themselves such questions for at least the past year — maybe their whole lives…